Daughter lost dad to Covid amid spike in cases in Japan after Tokyo 2020 Olympics

A Covid patient who could not get a hospital bed, an Olympic Village worker who did not feel protected from the virus, and a big spike in infections may be some of the darker sides of the Tokyo games, ITV News Correspondent Lucy Watson reports

While the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were generally perceived as major achievements, more and more people in Japan are asking: what price did the success come with?

A month before the Olympics started, 619 positive Covid-19 cases were recorded in Tokyo. By the time the opening ceremony came around, that number had more than doubled and it continued to rise.

Three weeks after events began, it peaked at 5,773 cases.

While Japan's athletes bathed in gold-medal glory inside arenas, those outside suffered.

Yuko Nishizato's father caught Covid in August. He died after being turned away from hospital as there were not enough beds, and resources were stretched.

Ms Nishizato said: "It is difficult even to look at these photographs."

She added: "I can't help but think that if the money had been spent elsewhere and doctors had been where they were supposed to be, there wouldn't have been a shortage of beds. So many people wouldn't have died."

Around 10,000 medical staff were needed for the games alone. The country's vaccine rollout was slow, so resistance to the virus was poor.

Yuko Nishizato's father, who caught Covid in August, died after being turned away from hospital as there were not enough beds

One Olympic Park worker said he did not feel protected from Covid-19, revealing staff were not offered vaccines nor PCR-tested.

The man, who agreed to talk to ITV News anonymously, said: "The whole, 'we are taking measurements to keep everyone safe' was just a joke."

He continued: "They didn't have any vaccines for us. We were not PCR tested. Only certain people were actually getting these.

"There was so much wrong in there. But if I didn't do it, I wouldn't be able to make rent and food."

One Olympic Park worker said he did not feel protected from Covid-19, revealing staff were not offered vaccines nor PCR-tested

Organisers went ahead with the games despite Japan being in a state of emergency due to Covid and despite protests and fears from citizens of the host nation.

They assured people that health and safety was paramount.

Dr Ryuichiro Sasae, from NTT Medical Centre Tokyo, said: "It would have been better to postpone at least the Olympics for a couple of months until the vaccination really kicked in. In that way, perhaps we could have saved more people's lives." But the International Olympic Committee told ITV News that 40,000 vaccine doses were provided to games participants from Japan.

Some staff, depending on their role, were also covered by the vaccination programme.